The darkest depths of New York are telling Sam Darnold he’s not meant to be here. Donald Trump tells Bad Bunny he shouldn’t be here. Transatlantic logistics told Aden Dude that he shouldn’t be here. Preseason odds told the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks that neither the New England Patriots nor the Seattle Seahawks should be here.

Yet they showed up at Super Bowl 60, as everyone should. It was an arena where tradition was shattered, doubters defied, Britons inspired by home-grown heroism, and a worthy champion crowned.

Seattle tortured Derek Meyer with the same cerebral and suffocating intensity they’ve tortured much of the league this season. Their 29-13 victory over the Patriots on Sunday, along with Darnold’s comeback story, set the stage for a season built on defense first.

Football schematics would tell Devin Witherspoon that he shouldn’t pressure the young New England quarterback so easily and so often because some kind of restraining order may be issued. The Los Angeles Rams will tell Cooper Kupp that he has no intention of weakening coverage on his way to becoming a double Super Bowl champion. NFL history tells Kenneth Walker III that he was never meant to be Super Bowl MVP when he became the first running back to win the honor since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII following the 1997 season.

Meanwhile, Mike Macdonald and UK defensive coordinator Durde are at the helm of one of the most stubborn and fearsome defenses in football. Dude, who was coaching the London Braves more than a decade ago, is about to become the founder of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program.

Dude’s promotion was inspired by the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears under Mike Ditka, who included him as his current assistant head coach. Speaking of which, the Buffalo Bills told Leslie Frazier he’s not cut out to coach a Super Bowl team.

“No, not at all,” Dude told Sky Sports, and was asked if he had ever dreamed of winning the Super Bowl. “The crazy thing is, we have Leslie Frazier, who was a member of the ’85 Bears.

“I think you have to cherish every moment and it’s incredible — having my family with me and knowing that all my family and supportive people are watching me.

“You have to be yourself to do everything. I’ve loved this sport since I was a kid. In my mind, I grew up with it, which may be different than other people grow up with it, but it’s something I grew up loving.

“My oldest son called me this week and said, ‘My bucket list is to go to the Super Bowl and I want to see my dad in the Super Bowl,’ and that was the coolest thing I’ve heard in a long time.”

Meyer barely had a whiff all game, save for his 35-yard touchdown hit to Mark Hollins in the fourth quarter that briefly threatened a potential comeback. Dude’s top-ranked scoring defense sacked him six times, turned one of his two interceptions into a pick-six and gave up a fumble to give the 2024 No. 3 overall pick a nightmarish Super Bowl run.

It was as rewarding a coaching team as any team in the league as Seattle won its second Super Bowl title in franchise history.

“I’m proud of these guys,” Dude said. “They made a commitment at the beginning of the year to perform like this in every game and today they came out and showed their best side.

“I appreciate everything they do. I appreciate the job they do and I like the way we hold each other accountable. We have a common goal.

“When you work hard like that and get results, you keep going and that’s when things happen. It happened to this team and we have to keep working hard now.”

Dude is considered the first full-time NFL coach to develop his career and coaching career entirely outside the United States.

He watched the Seahawks defense catch Meyer’s costly mistakes, centered around the standout Witherspoon, who planned to celebrate his two sacks and newfound trophy in style.

“I’d like to have a drink, or two…or maybe three. Who knows?” Witherspoon joked after the game.

Seattle led 9-0 at halftime when Jason Myers’ fourth of five Super Bowl field goals extended the advantage to three points. Facing a Seahawks defense that dictates New England’s pace and how much risk, if any, Darnold might have to take, Meyer was nervous.

They flew to the ball in droves, harassed Meyer all afternoon, and finally froze the game with Uchenna Nwosu’s return-six under pressure from the lightning-fast Witherspoon, embodying the unrelenting nature of Seattle football and its indomitable nature.

“It was a historic performance,” former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said in the Sky Sports studios.

“The Seahawks offense basically waved the white flag on third down in the second half because they knew they could rely on their defense.”

While Seattle relied on their defense and MVP Walker, Darnold guided the proceedings with clean, decisive plays, allowing the 2018 No. 3 overall pick to embark on a remarkable career renaissance that began, in part, with his backup role with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 at Levi’s Stadium, home of Super Bowl 60.

Darnold entered the league out of USC and spent three tumultuous years with the New York Jets before being dumped by the Carolina Panthers, where he competed with former draft classmate Baker Mayfield for the starting job. Kyle Shanahan then received a welcome football education under Kyle Shanahan before his resurgence led to a strong performance in the Minnesota Vikings’ 2024 playoff run and a starting opportunity only after JJ McCarthy was injured.

However, Minnesota was confident in McCarthy during the offseason, and Darnold instead signed a $100.5MM contract with the Seahawks. We know who won the deal.

“It’s unbelievable,” Darnold said. “Everything that’s happened in my career, but to do it with this team – I wouldn’t want to do it any other way. I’m proud of our guys. I can’t say enough great things about our defense and special teams.

“I’m proud of our guys. I can’t say enough good things about our defense and special teams. We could have been a little better on offense, but we won the Super Bowl, so I don’t care about that right now.

“As long as you believe in yourself, anything is possible.”

Darnold finished the game 19-for-38 for 202 yards and a touchdown pass to AJ Barner, the man who “saw ghosts” in the disastrous loss to the Patriots and came back to crush the dreams of his former rival Lombardi.

“After the game, I shared a beautiful moment with my parents and my fiancée Katie, and I think that was kind of motivational for me. I told my dad and my mom that I’m here because of the belief they have in me,” Darnold added.

“Throughout my career, some people said I believed in myself too much because I believed in myself too much, but that’s because of my parents. It allowed me to go out there and play with freedom and confidence.”

Darnold is in the same draft class as 2018 No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.

“You wouldn’t pick him to be the first guy to win a world title,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s absolutely crazy, but well-deserved. What a great team and Seattle proved they are the best team in football this year.”

Seahawks teammate Leonard Williams, who played alongside Darnold with the Jets, praised his “unwavering” attitude in the face of relentless scrutiny. The 28-year-old has long been accustomed to people who cannot see or imagine, and he believes that he will achieve belated success.

“Sam doesn’t care about the obstacles,” Seahawks head coach Mike McDonald said. “They’re trying to give him a story and a label as a person and as a quarterback, and he doesn’t care.

“He’s the same guy every day. Everything he’s done since he walked in the door is a great player and a great leader, and that’s who he is and that’s how we need to talk about him going forward.”

By NFL standards this season, Seattle has been a lonely picture of stability, establishing itself as easily the most complete team in football. Behind McDonald’s superb defense, the Seahawks clinched the No. 1 seed as NFC West champions and won their second Super Bowl in franchise history.

“I’m 100 percent confident. We have the best team and the best fans in the world, 12-man squad,” coach McDonald said.

“We never wavered. We believed in each other and now we are world champions.

“This is going to go down in history. I love our guys, they made it happen, they made it happen and we won the game.”

During a period of concern surrounding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Grammy-winning artist Bad Bunny celebrated the Latin American nation with a fairytale show of defiance sandwiched between a halftime show of defiance.

President Trump has publicly opposed his participation in the Super Bowl; NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has welcomed his “greatness” with open arms. The result was a lively spectacle in Puerto Rico, and it was later revealed that a real couple who appeared on the show had officially gotten married. Talk about pushing the boundaries of convention.

As Bad Bunny conquered the world, the Seahawks dominated the land and ushered in a new era of perennial contention overseas.

“Coming here from London, I don’t take any of this for granted and I’m proud,” Dude said.

“Normally I would fall asleep at half-time. I have to get back to London. Let this chaos end, I need to go home!”